In this final visit to Machine High (I swear!), romance and angst mix with humor as we tie up the threads of this tale. Ms. Carter discovers an evil within the school that threatens them all, new secrets are revealed, and new relationships begin, while old ones are rekindled.

In honor of the November 25th event, #JossCarterIsEternal, from November 23 – 29 a new chapter will be posted every day.

Chapter 1 – Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

Auto Shop teacher Jocelyn Carter stood in front of the packed crowd at Cal Beecher's memorial service. She'd been asked to say a few words, but as she unfolded the piece of paper in her hands, Joss knew all the things that she had spent hours writing last night meant nothing.

They were just words that you could say about anyone, not the man she had supposedly cared about, a man who had died a shocking and still mysterious death.

As Joss faced an expectant crowd, her mind went blank.

She'd seen Beecher every day at school, but Joss couldn't recall one memory, one thing he said or did that was special or meaningful to her.

All she could think to say was, "Oh, Cal."

The room was silent.

Then clapping began, at first slowly and then building to a deafening crescendo. People were standing on their feet, hugging each other and crying. Students were tweeting the words and the choir began singing, "Oh, Cal," their voices rising and falling in glorious harmony across the Machine High chapel.

"Magnificent, Ms. Carter, simply magnificent – the most eloquent eulogy I've heard in some time." School Board Head Alonzo Quinn wiped his eyes as he slowly walked up to the podium, his voice hoarse with emotion. "I'm sure my godson is looking down at us, and nodding in approval."

In a secluded alcove at the rear of the chapel, Bear, nattily attired with a black band on one leg, leaned over to Cafeteria Lady Reese and Coach Finch. "How can he look down? He was found flat on his back under a horse," Bear growled softly.

Finch raised an eyebrow at him.

"He was buried on his back, as well, was he not? So how can he look down? Why do humans make these incorrect and illogical statements?"

"Bear…" the Coach said warningly.

"It's a simple question, Finch." He tilted his head towards the Cafeteria Lady, his eyes glinting. "Don't you agree, Reese?"

"I'm just a cook, Bear. Stuff like that is above my pay grade." Reese fought not to smile as a furiously whispered debate erupted between the Coach and the Security Head – Bear loved exasperating Finch by pretending he was as clueless about human behavior as humans were about dogs – but his focus wasn't on his two friends, it was on Ms. Carter.

Graceful as always, clad in a simple dark blue dress that showed off her tiny waist and toned arms, she stood at the front of the room, accepting hugs and condolences from the attendees as they filed past her. Reese waited until the space was almost empty, then made his way over to the Auto Shop teacher.

Light from the chapel's glass roof streamed over her flawless brown skin and thick raven locks and as she turned to greet him, Reese's mouth went dry at how beautiful she was.

"Thank you, for putting together all of the refreshments, John. I hope it wasn't too much trouble."

He cleared his throat."No problem, Ms. Carter, glad to do it."

Joss tilted her head at him. "You look different." Her big brown eyes scanned his lean frame. "No hairnet and…you've got pants on."

Reese smirked at her. "I do get out of the cafeteria occasionally, Ms. Carter."

"I can see that." She smiled at him, then ducked her head, looking up at him through her lashes. "You look…nice."

He looked more than nice, Joss thought. He looked incredible. Without the hairnet, the silver strands in his dark hair sparkled, highlighting his blue eyes, a jacket showed off his broad shoulders and the pants let you appreciate his long legs in a way that was different from when he wore a skirt.

Cafeteria Lady John Reese was an attractive man, she'd always known that, but Joss considered him a just a friend, nothing more.

Liar, she thought.

Her mind flashed back to that day in the Auto Shop when she crashed into him. Feeling his hard frame against hers, his strong hands sliding along her body as if he knew every curve intimately, was like nothing Joss had ever experienced before.

This was a man she would see outside of the office.

Joss had sensed that he was going to ask her something that day – if Cal hadn't had burst in, what would John have asked her, she wondered. And what would she have said in reply?

No, Joss told herself, I can't. John Reese was a good man. If he knew her secret…

He smiled softly at her. "Ready to walk over to the cafeteria, Ms. Carter?"

"Not yet…I need a few minutes to myself, John. See you over there?" She smiled back, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "Just a minute, John. I'll be right there, I promise."

He looked as though he wanted to say something more, but nodded, then walked away.

Joss headed to the rest rooms located in a hall at the back of the chapel. As the Auto Shop teacher entered the hallway she heard urgent, low voices in an office and instinctively, she came to a stop and listened.

"I want every penny, Simmons, every cent. I want to bleed this place dry."

"You'll have it, boss. I promise. The situation with your godson, we're using to our advantage."

"Yes…Cal," Alonzo Quinn's voice, so warm and gentle just a few minutes earlier, was now dripping with contempt. "He finally came in handy. I need to head over to the cafeteria and join the other mourners. We'll talk later."

"You got it, boss."

At the sound of their footsteps, Joss quickly lowered her head and stepped forward as they exited the back office.

"Ah, Jocelyn, you're still here, are you alright?" Quinn took her hand, the caring mask back in place.

"I'm just a little overwhelmed," she said, aware that Simmons was looking at her closely. "I'm going to freshen up a bit, before I head over to the cafeteria."

"I'll wait for you. The stairs leading to the rest of campus are rather steep." The chapel, a former Baptist church, was located at the bottom of a small hill, secluded from the rest of the Machine High. Stone steps, carved from the rocky hillside, led you to the rest of the site. Quinn touched his chest with his free hand. "It will be nice to have a strong arm to lean on. Cal's death…" his voice trailed off."

Joss raised her head, slowly meeting his eyes. "We were all worried about you, Mr. Quinn."

The School Board Head had reportedly collapsed at the news of Beecher's death and had been in seclusion until today. Rumors had run rampant that he'd had some sort of emergency procedure and his movements were hesitant and uncertain during the service, his suit hanging loosely on his elegant frame.

"Well, seeing today how much everyone cared about Cal certainly helped," he smiled softly.

Joss nodded. "I'll just be a few minutes."

"Take your time," Quinn said, squeezing her hand.

As she stepped into the ladies room, Quinn's smile faded as Simmons slowly shook his head at his boss. The School Board Head looked sad for a moment, then nodded to his henchman and the Teacher's Union President slipped away.

Next: Prayer changes things.